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Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

My limited experience with airport meet/greet stuff is it's always kind of a last minute thing. Generally, you have to check with Rob Laycock for the departure/arrival info.

Then you just show up in your gear at the airport if you are so inclined. Usually you just check out the big arrival boards for incoming flights from Orlando and that gets you the Arrival Gate.

As for airport directions, well, there's always Google or Yahoo Maps. It's that big thingie out there on the west side.

When George Hill arrived to Indy after we acquired him in the draft day trade, I knew his travel arrangements because Roy asked us to welcome him at the airport. George was flying commercial and we knew his flight #, so we were able to look up his arrival time.

Each flight time is different for the team. Typically, they fly home immediately following the end of a road trip. There isn't really a departure time because they may have team-only postgame meetings and then media availability prior to leaving.

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

When George Hill arrived to Indy after we acquired him in the draft day trade, I knew his travel arrangements because Roy asked us to welcome him at the airport. George was flying commercial and we knew his flight #, so we were able to look up his arrival time.

Each flight time is different for the team. Typically, they fly home immediately following the end of a road trip. There isn't really a departure time because they may have team-only postgame meetings and then media availability prior to leaving.

So basically there is no way of knowing actually when they would arrive. I understand that might be a bit of a roll of the dice, but what about where fans might greet the team as they arrive? Is it the international terminal or will they arrive at some secure location that we would not be able to get into. I've heard other folks say that they had to "know" someone to get through the secured area to greet the team.

We really should make a concerted effort to meet at the airport unless it is some ungodly hour. Even then, I'm sure some folks will want to go. The key is to spread the word on how to do it.

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Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

Man It's kind of my fault I was trying to get the info ahead of time to give to everybody they do come in at the international arrivals terminal over by the old airport. We just didn't have an exact time so we had Denari text us when they left and text us again when they landed.

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

Man It's kind of my fault I was trying to get the info ahead of time to give to everybody they do come in at the international arrivals terminal over by the old airport. We just didn't have an exact time so we had Denari text us when they left and text us again when they landed.

It's really nobody's fault. You can't possibly know who wanted to go that was out of the usual circle. If you have everyone's Area55 e-mail addresses, would it be possible to alert people that way or let them know of some other way to check? Also, still not sure whether we have to know someone in airport security to get to the right terminal as they come in.

Let's plan to meet after the second Heat game at the airport unless it is in the dead of night. Even then some may still want to go. Thanks!

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

It's really nobody's fault. You can't possibly know who wanted to go that was out of the usual circle. If you have everyone's Area55 e-mail addresses, would it be possible to alert people that way or let them know of some other way to check? Also, still not sure whether we have to know someone in airport security to get to the right terminal as they come in.

Its not at the main terminal. As we discovered last night (and in my case, somewhat embarassing fashion since I used to be able to see the actual building from my house before trees got too tall), when the new terminal went online, they never moved the International Arrivals terminal from the building it was already at, its much closer to the old terminal than the newer one. No airport security checkpoints to deal with.

Also a heck of a lot cheaper to park at!

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

Salutations, 55ers. Well, Round 1 of the Playoffs now stands 3-1 in favor of the Pacers. I think you can just about stick a fork in the Magic. The Amway Disneys are almost – but not quite – done.

Tonight, hopefully, our guys will administer the merciful coup de grace. Then, we’ll have won the mandatory 4 games we need to advance to Round 2. Then we won’t have to see Stan Van Gundy, Big Baby, Ryan Anderson (The Most Improved Player in the NBA!) or J. J. Redick any more for a long, long time. They will all just return to Dwightsville and start scheming and building for another successful season. (Yes, I’m being sarcastic here. I don’t see Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard in the same town ever again).

Oh, yes, tonight the Magic will “play hard”; they will “still believe in themselves”; and they “will be scrappy.” But if the Magic’s necromancy proved unavailing against the Pacers on their own swampy Florida turf , then you have to wonder how it’s going to have any efficacy here in Indy before a sold-out and raucous BLF? To me, Stan Van Gundy’s bottle of ju-ju appears pretty empty. More to the point, Frank Vogel has publicly promised Game 7 intensity tonight from the Pacers. Frank doesn’t usually make idle threats. .

So, I like our chances tonight, O painted ones. Let’s do all we can as a unit to put an end to this Round One charade. I think everyone’s about ready to witness the Pacer’s real test – our upcoming rumble with Miami’s troika of James, Wade, and Bosch. Let’s get rid of the Magic and get to the main event.

More Reasons to Loathe Orlando – The Horrendous Poetry of J. J. Redick: It was interesting to see Jonathan Clay “J. J.” Redick bump into Tyler Hansbrough in Game 4., wasn’t it? J. J. emerged from the encounter all put out and testy. There was a flurry of arm flailing, some demonstrative pushing, and a quick spasm of nasty name-calling -- all indicating a bit of personal pique on the part of J. J.

Perhaps J. J. was just surprised Tyler happened to be in his way. Perhaps J. J. was offended that Tyler did not just mildly step away and thereby allow J.J. to spin effortlessly toward the hoop for a driving layup. Whatever, J. J. was not happy with Tyler. J. J.’s resulting hissy fit is preserved here. Vide!

The above prompted me to do a little research on J. J. Redick as previously I did not know too much about him. My research is now completed. Suffice it to say, I now despise J. J. Redick for a more important reason than his hissy fits. I now despise him for his affronts to the English language.

See, J. J. Redick does not view himself as simply a better than average jump shooter (which he undoubtedly is). In his own mind, his waters run far deeper than that. He has an introspective, “sensitive side.” This side comes out only in J. J.’s quieter, more pensive, off-court moments. Then J. J. Redick the jump-shooter morphs into J. J. Redick the poet.

No kidding. J. J. writes poems.

Consider this one, which J. J. self-published on the SI.com website. It is so aptly called “July 7, 2004”

“July 7, 2004

As I decide to fulfill my life’s strategy The devil insists on trying to battle me I meet him in an empty field on the high plains He throws temptations my way to inflict internal pain
Life and death matters, this ain't no game
It's mind over matter, the power of my brain
He thinks I'll give in if my muscles start to strain
He believes I'll submit to the evil of society's frame
And benefit from notoriety's gain
He says I don't have to properly train
and that he'll give me all the fame
and everyone will know my name
But I think he's insane
'Cause I know the truth- to gain is to give
To have pain is to live
So I call on my heavenly Father's name
And slowly watch the thunder and rain subside
I'm finally able to push the temptations aside
I went blow for blow, I went face to face
Now the devil knows, I'm able to escape
Not by a back door or an alternate route
I saw the middle high ground and I ran right through”

Pretty good, huh? Great use of rhyme! I particularly enjoyed this complex A/B/B/A scheme he opens with: .

“He says I don’t have to properly train
And that he’ll give me all the fame
And everyone will know my name
But I think he’s insane”

And then there’s J. J.’s boffo unrhymed A/ B/ C/ D ending:

“I went blow for blow, I went face to face
Now the devil knows, I’m able to escape
Not by a back door or an alternate route
I saw the middle high ground and I ran right through”

And the subject matter of this poem! Very powerful stuff! What imagery!

Here we have jump-shooter J. J. Redick involved in a life and death struggle with “the devil” in an “empty field” on the “high plains.” Reading it, I couldn't help but wonder if those “high plains” might perhaps be located somewhere “in Spain” and, of course, be all wet, damp, and dewy due to the persistent “rain.” Yes, I had an Eliza Dolittle moment.

And consider the basic and thoroughly profound message of this poem:

The Devil is tempting J. J. Redick, telling him that he “does not have to properly train!”

(I can see Old Nick now: “Psst, J. J., You can cheat on those pushups! No weight work today!”)

Happily, though, J. J. fights through Satan’s temptations. In fact, he sees some “middle high ground and runs right through”. I for one felt relieved when this happened but had to wonder why he elected to run right through that middle high ground.

One minor critique: Perhaps, somewhere, J. J. might have worked in that old weight-room maxim, “No pain, no gain!” But, then again, he really does sort of do this, doesn’t he? When he says:

'Cause I know the truth- to gain is to give
To have pain is to live

So true, J. J. And spoken like a true masochist.

Want more? Okay.

How about this one, aptly named “July 15, 2004” (and apparently written by J. J. a week after his earlier “July 7, 2004” opus, and while still on a poetic roll):

“July 15, 2004

No bandage can cover my scars
It’s hard living a life behind invisible bars
Searching for the face of God
I’m only inspired by the poems of Nas
Because the truth has carved my life’s patterns
The reality of pain, and the joy of laughter
My hopes and dreams shattered
by the miscalculation of my own situation
It’s difficult to keep my nerves patient
Facing the forecast of fears
that none of my peers have ever been faced with
I wanna reach the top floor, but I’m stuck in the basement
With not enough juice to burst through
the chains that have shackled my brain
It seems my dreams have carried me to a separate peace
apart from reality
Society is allowing me to grow into the man I’m destined to become
But how can I move when my entire skeleton is numb?
Numb from the obstacles that I’ve been given
Suddenly the bars connect to walls
and I find myself contained inside life’s prison”

This one is so ingenious. J. J. starts powerfully with “No bandage can cover my scars; It’s hard living a life behind invisible bars” And you think, hey, J. J.’s rhyming!

But then, another surprise! Nothing else in the poem seems to rhyme until you get way down to “Society is allowing me to grow into the man I’m destined to become; But how can I move when my entire skeleton is numb?”

“November 10, 2004
I can't see what my future has in store
but I move forth with the strength of a condor
The courage of a warrior
The commitment of an American soldier
Despite this weight on my shoulder
my inner forces circulate to form
a nucleus of an unbreakable bond
These words describe the soundtrack to my life's song
My mind and body united like the Colors of Benneton
My destiny isn't told by the creases of my palm
A sharp thorn once cut my soul
The blood flowed
But no bandage would cover the wound
I couldn't help but stare at the distant moon
Waiting for a resolution to come at an instant soon
I asked the Lord, "What am I to do?"
He said, "Son, I made the sky blue
The rain falls because of me
Leaves change colors on a fall tree
I was the inspiration to Martin Luther King
I'm the reason Ray Charles could sing
I've changed others through and through
And my son, I'll do the same to you"

I love the opening heroic couplet: “I can’t see what my future has in store; but I move forth with the strength of a condor” Ah, the imagery this conjures!

See, J. J. is blind, uncertain of his future, but he still is "moving forth" like a big South American vulture gliding on those warm air currents high in the Andes mountains.

And then there’s this image (my favorite): “My mind and body united like the Colors of Benneton (sic)”

And there's J.J.’s resort to the Lord for guidance, a la Tim Tebow: “I asked the Lord, "What am I to do? He said, "Son, I made the sky blue.”

This is truly profound. And I love how God answers J. J. right back! Just like he does with Tim Tebow!

****

So there is much reason to defeat Orlando tonight, 55ers. Assuming we get rid of the Magic without further fanfare, there will be further cause for more postings of wretched J. J. Redick poems in this Newsletter.

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

This was from Kravitz in his article about the brawl bla bla bla....
But gotta give the guy credit lol

Someone tweeted Kravitz trying to claim that he started that chant and not us..... I pointed and LOLd.

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca

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Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

Hey we need to think about a new fathead or two. Does not have to be a head in particular coudl just be a big sign.
I had a few Ideas. Maybe a big sign with all the players faces on it that says built not bought.
A big sign that says FLOPPER! What do you guys think?

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

Looks like everybody's having margaritas with their mommas. Okey-dokey, guess I watch it at home.

Yeah, bad date/time for a viewing party. Might consider going to one on Tuesday if it's organized.

As for fatheads, we will continue to bring our own Foster fathead with us, that we made with a picture taken the day before he officially retired. Our way of saying that he is still part of the team. Had hoped to use the image of Foster staring down D. Rose (from last year's playoffs) if we played Chicago, but a) we won't be playing them and b) I guess there is something about photo copyright infringement that we'd have to worry about.

I do have a picture of Hibbert dunking over LeBron. I will give some thought to making that into a poster for games 3 & 4. However, it would be nice if we can reclaim the ones that went to the G-squared zone. I'm not sure that area is convening for the playoffs anyway.

Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

I guess you could wear floppy bunny ears in respect to Frank's comment.

You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

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Re: Area 55 Season Thread 2011-2012

I'm trying to find that out..... Looks like I'm burning the candle late tonight. Good thing I have plenty of caffeine and get off work at 1PM!

"Nobody wants to play against Tyler Hansbrough NO BODY!" ~ Frank Vogel

"And David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone and slung it. And it struck the Philistine on the head and he fell to the ground. Amen. "
Want your own "Just Say No to Kamen" from @mkroeger pic? http://twitpic.com/a3hmca